In early childhood settings, educators often face a subtle but powerful choice: should learning focus on the process or the product? While both approaches have their place, understanding the distinction can transform how we nurture creativity, independence, and critical thinking in young children.
In a landmark move toward equity and empowerment, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) services are expanding across New South Wales, offering families more choice, more places, and more opportunities for culturally grounded early childhood education.
As part of its commitment to expanding access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), the NSW Department of Education is offering targeted support to providers through the Flexible Initiatives Trial (FIT)—a $20 million program designed to help services test and trial new operating models. To help applicants navigate the competitive grant process, the department is hosting grant-writing workshops on the 25th of September, delivered online via MS Teams.
By empowering early childhood educators to embrace Auslan and foster inclusive communication from the earliest years. Here's a scaffolded guide to help you begin teaching Auslan in early childhood settings for toddlers and preschoolers.
Here's a comprehensive breakdown of Exceeding Theme 2:Practice is Informed by Critical Reflection across all quality areas 1 to 7 of the National Quality Standard (NQS). This theme emphasizes how services use deep, ongoing reflection to inform and improve their practices—not just occasionally, but as a core part of their culture.
In a powerful step toward inclusive and culturally responsive education, early childhood educators across New South Wales are invited to a fee-free face-to-face workshop* with Jessica Staines, founder of Koori Curriculum, on Saturday, 1 November, at TAFE NSW Kingswood.
In a bold move toward future-proofing early learning environments, a Brisbane early learning centre has become one of the first in Queensland to introduce AI-powered security systems, marking a significant leap in how childcare services protect children, staff, and families.
Early childhood education services across Victoria have been significantly disrupted as educators stage a widespread strike on Tuesday, 16th September. The industrial action follows a prolonged 15-month negotiation period during which the Victorian state government has failed to present a pay offer to educators.
A: There’s no fixed number of observations required from educators across all early childhood services in Australia—it depends on your service’s philosophy, policies, and the needs of the children.
Here's a quick cheat sheet for Quality Area 4: Staffing Arrangements under the National Quality Standard (NQS) in Australian early childhood education. This area focuses on ensuring that staffing promotes children's learning and development.
A: You can show individual learning cycles in a simplified way by using visual templates and structured documentation that align with the EYLF. These tools help educators track each child’s progress without overwhelming complexity. Here are a few effective strategies.
Here’s a streamlined set of weekly reflection questions designed for educators to use quickly—whether during team check-ins, solo journaling, or embedded in documentation cycles. They’re emotionally intelligent, trauma-informed, and adaptable across age groups and settings.
The following is a cheat sheet for Quality Area 3: Physical Environment. This quality area is designed to support educators in creating safe, inclusive, and engaging spaces that nurture well-being and learning. This version emphasizes design principles, sustainability, and trauma-informed spatial choices, with cues for induction, audit prep, and daily reflection.
